2015 Mazda CX-9: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
35 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2011 and 2012 CX-9, CAUTION verdicts at 65 and 50 with Service Brakes accounting for 100 of the 2011 car's 170 complaints and 143 of the 2012 car's 221; buy a 2014, 2015, 2017 or any year from 2019 to 2022, which score between 83 and 93. The 2018 car is a CAUTION at 57 with 126 complaints, 74 of them Engine. Read the full note on the model page. 2015 specifically: a year the record favours — 35 complaints, score 90/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Mazda CX-9, CX-3 and CX-7: what the record says, including 2015 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 35 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 3.18
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
My Mazda has been serviced regularly, in fact my next oil change isn't for 2,000 more miles. I was driving when I heard this weird noise. I looked at the dash and the oil light was flashing and the temperature was over heating. I could also feel the vehicle getting sluggish. I pulled over on the interstate. All the lights were on by this time. I popped the hood and there wasn't any coolant in the resivour anymore. I …
The contact owns a 2015 Mazda CX9. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the engine was overheating. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle continued to coast into a parking lot. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water pump, ti…
The issue is with the design of the Water Pump on this vehicle. From my understanding, this is a common issue with the 2015 Mazda CX-9. What happens is once the water pump starts to fail due to the design, the vehicle starts to stall randomly which poses a safety issue to my family when driving. The vehicle was inspected by a dealership in the area and was ultimately fixed. I was informed that the water pump has …
Recalls: 2 campaigns (2 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 16V203000 | Steering | Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 2, 2015, 2013-2014 Mazda2 vehicles manufactured July 3, 2013, to August 8, 2014, 2014-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured January 19, 2013, to December 2, 2015, and 2013-2015 CX-9 vehicles manufactured December 6, 2012, to July 31,… |
| 18V717000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally,… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 19 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,250
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine17 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other9 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Power Train3 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Service Brakes3 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Exterior Lighting2 complaints · typical job: Headlamp assembly or lighting-module replacement (1.5 h labour + parts)$360–$1,380
- Air Bags2 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
Other Mazda CX-9 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2015 Mazda CX-9?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (17 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2015 Mazda CX-9 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 90/100, computed from 35 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2015 Mazda CX-9's most common problem?
17 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2015 Mazda CX-9 sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2015 Mazda CX-9 cost to run per year?
About $5,520 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $27,600 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2015 Mazda CX-9 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2015 Mazda CX-9, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 11/04/2016. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other midsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2015 Mazda CX-9 really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 35 complaints, 2 recalls on record
- 35 NHTSA complaints on record (3.2/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (7.6/yr)
- 2 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality